Towers Watson’s annual Global Alternatives Survey reveals total global alternative assets under management exceed $5tln, while total assets managed by the top 100 alternative investment managers globally reached $3.1tln in 2012. The survey, based on research produced by Towers Watson and published in conjunction with the Financial Times, covers seven asset classes and seven investor types, and shows that of the Top 100 alternative investment managers, real estate managers have the largest share of assets (34% and over $1.0tln) followed by direct private equity fund managers (23% and $717bn), direct hedge funds (20% and $612bn), private equity funds of funds (PEFoFs) (10% and $315bn), funds of hedge funds (FoHFs) (6% and $176bn), infrastructure (4%) and commodities (4%).

Data from the broader survey shows that total global alternative assets under management are now $5.1tln, split between the asset classes in similar proportions to the Top 100 alternative investment managers, with the exception of real estate which falls to 26% and direct hedge funds which increases to 26% of the total.

Craig Baker, global head of investment research at Towers Watson, said: "For almost all of the past 10 years of this research we have seen increasing allocations to alternative assets by a wide range of in......................